Saturday, March 23, 2013

"Go on, high ship, since now, upon the shore, The snake has left its skin upon the floor." ~ Wallace Stevens

In an effort to sooth my need for some serious shelling, we made a trip to Sanibel Island, famed for its wonderful abundance of shells. Unfortunately, the low-tides, best for shelling, did not cooperated with our time there. We spent a lovely day at the beach anyway.

The beach was littered with what looked like so many shed snake skins! In fact, these were all egg cases for shells - quite amazing.

This is the egg case of the Lightning Whelk. "Each pocket of the Lightning Whelk egg case contains between 20 and 100 tiny whelks. If the egg case is fertile, the beachcomber can cut open a pocket and examine the baby whelks. These tiny whelks begin to eat each other as they emerge from the case. Most of the eggs in each capsule serve as food for the usually single individual that will emerge." ~ Florida's Fabulous Sea Shells

The Lightning Whelk

This is the egg case of the Banded Tulip.

The Banded Tulip

The Devil's Purse - or as my sisters and I referred to them when we were little - Mermaid's Purses. These are in fact the egg case of the Cleanose Skate. "It is made of a material which is similar to that of fingernails. Unopened, it looks like it might be a seedpod with hooks or horns on the ends. When it is cut open, one small, embryonic skate is revealed. In the sea, these cases will hold the embryos safely for several months and then split open to release fully formed baby skates." Florida's Fabulous Sea Shells

The Clearnose Skate

Lots of other very interesting seaweeds and shells.

This one reminds me of the 13 Colonies snake from the Revolutionary War below:

6 comments:

Your photos are wonderful but I hate snakes. It was hard for me to look at. I grew up on a Texas rice farm and snakes were a way of life. Most of them were very deathly. We had to be very careful and always watchful!!!Dottie

What an education - I had no idea, and how COOL!! I especially love the Join or Die similarity. Thanks for all of these trips to the beach, Tracy. Your photos are a refreshing break from the snow beneath my window.

About Me

I am a retired junior high teacher who lives in Central New York. I have always enjoyed the arts, reading and making things with my own hands. Sadly, as a new interest in cooking has emerged, so has the need to eat less - is there no justice?!
I have a wonderful husband and son who are always supportive of my ventures. I also have a diverse group of friends who feed my need for laughter, creativity, and shoulders to lean on.
I am one lucky lady!